The Fall of a Nation

Chapters

Prologue
1. Blood on the Snow
2. A Warm Hearth in the Wilderness
3. The Shattered Keep
4. Survival Is Cruel
The Future of This Story

Prologue

Turning on the radio after a day of hard work might have been a pleasure during better times. However, Lyra Heartstrings' mind was not ridden with positive thoughts when she finally managed to tune in her old piece of scrap.

[…now, after the week of mourning, the time has finally come! Today at dawn, all of the major factories and strategic points of Stalliongrad, Fillydelphia, Trottingham and several smaller cities were seized by the Red Guard. Yes, citizen, you heard me right! The noble scum has been cleansed from our largest industrial sites. Ponies across the country have risen to arms in order to protect themselves against oppression and hunger.

We all know how frightening it must have been to lose the assumedly immortal monarch who ruled our nation with love and understanding. However, my little ponies, you must understand that nothing is eternal. Not even alicorns. While this loss has been hard for all of us, with it comes the hope of a brighter tomorrow. We must not give in to the oppressors, who pretend to have the right to claim Celestia’s former throne. That throne, my little ponies, is no birthright. The Royal Council has no right to confiscate your food or weapons, no right to break protests and strikes with force, and no right to use the working class as a mere tool for their wealthy living. Neither does the Merchant Union, the loyal puppet of the Council, have any right to do the afromentioned. My little ponies, we must resist! When we work together for a better tomorrow, nothing can stop us! Together, we can thwart tyranny and oppression! Together, we can give ponies the right to rule over themselves! Together, we can smash crowns and scepters to pieces!

…

The speech was given this afternoon by Prime Minister Blazing Heart, the head of the legally elected Parliament, which is currently returning from the refugee they had taken in Gryphonia. Blazing Heart already arrived to Stalliongrad, where he plans to…]

Lyra cringed; she could listen to no more. The aquamarine mare knew it was all pure fantasy and propaganda. The Red Guard had attempted to take over the City Hall of Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres in the course of the morning. Luckily, the White Guard had been faster - all the Reds of Ponyville were now detained, and it was only by good fortune that nopony had been killed.

While the mare was of course worried about the future of Ponyville and Equestria, she was much more concerned of her life-companion, Bon Bon, who was still in Fillydelphia taking care of her old and sickly mother. There was no way Lyra could contact her wife now, as all mail services in the East had been taken over by the Reds and were currently driven down. All she could do was hope for the situation to turn over happily, with Bon Bon returning next week and joining the White Guard with her.

But deep down she knew that life, particularly in a time like this, could never be that simple. As there was no way to contact her love, Lyra had decided to take on something she’d stopped years ago – it was time to write a diary again.

24. 1. 918

Dear diary,

I’m so afraid... The very town I live in is under danger, and a large chunk of Equestria is being overrun by mobs of bloodthirsty factory workers. And worst of all, my love is not here with me.

I can only hope that the workers will realize their mistake and that things would just return to the state they once were in... hope that the Six will rise and use the elements to stop this. Hope that Luna returns and takes over the throne.

Hope that the mare I love is safe.

****

Bon Bon was no stranger to hunger, but what she had seen in Fillydelphia had made her heart ache. She did support the policies of the Council… At least that’s what she kept telling herself. Even though Bon was aware that the mail services were unavailable, she decided to write a letter to her wife. The Reds would propably get the mail running in short order anyway.

24. 1. 918

Dearest Lyra,

Things here are much worse than I expected. I know separating during a time like this was a risky gamble, but while hearing about the Red takeover might take your sleep away, I can assure my life’s not currently in danger.

And about my mother… Lyra, I was happy to find out that she’s still alive, although barely. As strange as it may sound, being ill has actually helped her quite a bit. Mother told me that the hospital has a steady supply of food, which is otherwise very scarce in this tormented city.

Truly, If I didn’t know better, I’d think the end of the world was near. Every time I cross the street to attend some business, I feel a stab in my heart; there’s a Ponyville’s worth of miserable, starving people begging for food on the streets. Just yesterday I saw at least a dozen dead or dying ponies lying in the middle of an alley right between the hospital and a residential flat. And what did ponies do to those corpses? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Though the uprising of the Reds has scared me a bit, they did have the decency to haul the dead out of the view and bury them. The local head of the Red Guard also promised to get food from somewhere, though that might be too big a promise; I know the situation is hard even there in Ponyville.

I hate myself for thinking like this – but I don’t believe the situation’s going to improve very much. As the famine of the winter before the last was caused by a war with a foreign aggressor, I don’t really want to imagine how the food problem will turn out when there’s a full-fledged revolution going on. I hope a war can still be avoided, but it truly looks like ponies will take sides in a bloody fight against each other for the first time in a millennium.

But even in the middle of the worst crisis our nation has ever faced, I can take comfort in thinking about you. In the face of love, nothing else really matters that much – war, famine, a dead Princess – all just mere obstacles between us. Nothing true love can’t overcome.

Hoping to see you soon,

Your loving wife.

1. Blood on the Snow

It took only a couple of days for the mail service to be put back up, but that wasn’t much of a consolation for Lyra. All letters were now officially reviewed by the Guard before being given to their recipients. While Lyra knew that it was necessary to pilfer out any and all Red communication, she was becoming frustrated by the slow process. A letter from Fillydelphia would surely have arrived in a day or two under normal conditions, but with all the reviewing, censoring and simple nervous pondering by both the Reds and Whites the time to get a letter had quadrupled.

The war had now officially started, with the Royal Council declaring a full mobilization of the Royal and White Guards, merging them into a new Equestrian Army. At the same time, the Parliament had declared itself the only rightful governing body of Equestria. It had been no surprise that the fresh leader of the Republic of Gryphonia, Supreme Crimson Talon, had immediately recognized the Parliament as the only legal representative of Equestria. While that would have been a deathblow for the Whites in some other time, there was still severe unrest in Gryphonia, as Crimson Talon had gotten to power only seven months ago by executing a perfect, bloodless coup when the country was still suffering from a deep recession caused by the war with Equestria and Prance. Some idle gryphon troops occupying the northernmost Equestrian territories would probably join the Reds, but most just wanted to go home. Of what Lyra had heard from the radio during evenings, she could gather that the Parliament had become a mere puppet of the Gryphonian Supreme, who intended to make Equestria a satellite state for his new republic.

This turn of matters had only made the mare more confident of herself on the matter of joining the White Guard. She was afraid of having to hurt other ponies, but it was all different now with the gryphons in this mess. Equestria needed everypony to defend itself during the darkest days of its history. Home, friendship, and motherland – those were the words Princess Cadence had used during her most recent speech. But that still wouldn’t have been reason enough for Lyra, were her wife not in the middle of Red territory.

Because of where Bon was, it was a torture to hear about the atrocities the Red Guard had already committed when they overran Seaddle. As the radioman had put it, the Reds were ruthless and completely lacked mercy. The White Guard of Seaddle was quite small, and the Reds had had the advantage of having armed ponies already on the move. Several divisions of thousands of Reds from Baltimare had been put on attack, and the results weren’t pretty – all the Whites of Seaddle and the surrounding countryside were now gone. The Whites of Seaddle had surrendered after only a day of fighting, but that didn’t mean their fate would be any better than dying on the battlefield. No – being imprisoned by the brutal force of armed workers and traitors was an almost certain death sentence.

2. 2. 918

Dear diary,

Finally received a letter from Bon. I was extremely relieved to hear she’s not currently in danger – but that doesn’t mean I can stop worrying, since she’s still inside red territory. However, I am going to have a much easier time sleeping now.

3. 2. 918

Dear diary,

I didn’t think everything would start to fall apart so quickly.

Just moments after I woke up today, the lights went out. Power outages aren’t uncommon in Ponyville, but this time the power didn’t come back up like it always does – I guessed something must be wrong with either the power lines or the nearby coal plant, which powers much of the countryside near Canterlot. It turned out that I was terribly right.

Canterlot has gone to hell. Princess Cadence has been assassinated, and a part of the Royal Guard mutinied under Major Ironhelm, one of the most influential and powerful stallions in the military. It was only by Guard Captain Armor’s inspirational speech and valiant fighting that the Royal Council was saved, and most of our capital remained in White hands. Unfortunately, there was no chance for a decisive victory. After taking heavy losses in the battle over the Castle of Canterlot, the Reds retreated to the Northern parts of the city. However, it’s imperative to note that the enemy can’t hole up in there forever – they have no means to get support in the way of food and munitions.

But above all this madness rises the speech of Shining Armor, played in the radio several times, for it was something truly epic. I was there in the wedding of him and Cadence, back in the better times... the times of love and happiness when war was only a distant echo. I know how he loved Cadence, and the speech reminded me of my own beloved wife, who’s so close to my heart, yet so far physically. Oh, how I miss those old times of joy and careless life...

But hope still remains. It’s time for me to join the fight. Time to take up arms for our motherland.

Just had a horrible nightmare. Took me some time to stop shaking and to actually be able to write something coherent.

I was on a beautiful meadow. A field of roses, deep in their crimson lay ahead of me. The wind was warm and peaceful – I had a feeling of serenity that was the norm not that much time ago. Somehow, I could see every little detail of those roses. Their petal were perfectly symmetrical and glittered in the refreshing sunlight, like they were parts of some alicorn-spawned garden. The thorns, sharp enough to rip a pony apart, seemed to extend themselves to the deepest pits of my mind.

Then the roses started singing. They sang their horrid, mind piercing song, until I could take it no more. I awoke with a throbbing headache, and hugged Bon who always slept right there beside me. Except she wasn’t there, of course.

When will we see again?

4. 2. 918

Dear diary,

It feels weird to write this often… Expressing my feelings by writing into a book isn’t exactly what I’m used to. But it will have to do while Bon is away.

There’s so many news all the time. But unlike the trivial gossip and useless ponderings of the past, every word is novadays filled with information. Every little detail of Red actions from sightings of rogue fighters to reports of divisional movements is broadcasted on the radio. I think the Council wants to create a sense of safety in us by assuring that they know everything the enemy does and have the situation under control. Well, that’s not working for me. There’s so much reports of Reds around Fillydelphia that I’m going to have trouble with sleeping again, and the nightmare I had last night certainly doesn’t help.

Of course I should also be concerned of what happens here in my own town – and much has indeed happened. The Carousel Boutique, former home of the Element of Generosity, is now used to house the Red prisoners. Many are worried of the current problem we have with the captives: food. There’s little of it even for us, and feeding the prisoners will certainly strain our food supplies. However, Guard Captain Big Macintosh insisted that they’re treated equally when sharing from our stock. And you can’t say no to him.

Another, albeit temporary strain on the town's resources will be the draw of twenty Whites to the defense of Canterlot. Our capital is in a desperate need of fresh units, and the White Guards of the countryside around it will aid the Royal Guard in dealing with the Red menace. The selected ponies will have to be supplied with at least a week’s worth of rations and a lot of munitions.

5. 2. 918

Such a tranquil day. No big news from around the world. Even Ponyville was very quiet today. I hope it’s not just a case of calm before the storm…

A day like this makes my heart hurt. With the radio crackling and sputtering recent developments I had at least something to do – but today, nothing was there to keep my emotions at bay. Yes, I have cried. A lot.

But I must not let my emotions take control of me. I have to be stronger than that.

6. 2. 918

Dear diary,

When I went to the City Hall this morning in order to join the White Guard, little did I know about what I was going to witness...

There was a black-eyed and beaten-up mare strapped to a pole in front of the building. Her pink mane was mostly torn away, and her body was so bruised that it was hard to tell whether it was naturally red or some hue of pink. For a moment my head was filled with terror and puzzlement – Pinkie Pie?!

Well, of course it wasn’t Pinkie, since it was doubtful that even she could escape the dungeons beneath the Castle of Canterlot. Still irrationally afraid of the identity of the pink mare, I sighed in relief when I noticed her cutie mark: A bunch of grapes and a strawberry. Despite the horrible condition of Berry Punch, I couldn’t really feel any remorse for the mare. It had been her own choice to join the Red Guard, a ragtag faction of criminals who cared only for themselves.

I was told by Private Carrot Top that most of the Red captives had escaped during the night, but one unlucky mare had been captured when she tried to snatch supplies from the warehouse. When the warehouse guards hurried to the Carousel Boutique, they found both of the guards stationed there dead with all of those held captive long gone.

Mayor Mare later declared that the Everfree Forest was now off-limits, as the interrogation had revealed that the Reds had fled there, apparently planning to hole up and live the winter by gathering and… hunting. Not really surprising, as even I had had to eat some meat during the last famine. But no matter how much you try to reason it, it’s still an act of barbarism. After a casual report of the state of the town’s food and arm wares, it was time for the most important announcement.

The funeral of the two murdered guards is going to be held tomorrow, along with the court martial of Berry Punch. I was asked to play something with my lyre, and grudgingly complied – I’m not really in the mood for that right now.

7. 2. 918

Dear Diary,

It has been a long day for everypony. In the hours of dawn, just at the time of the sunrise, the two murdered guards were escorted to the cemetery of Ponyville by a large group. The morning was one of the coldest this winter, and the night had brought a fresh layer of snow upon the ground. I was feeling strangely serene, and the situation reminded me of the nightmare I had a few days back. Not a word was said until we got to the site of their final rest – a pair of empty graves between two old and majestic snow-covered oaks. I have never been a fan of big funerals, and this was no exception. I played two sad hymns with my lyre, feeling just anxiousness when most of the crowd cried. The tears just didn’t come for me, though. I never even knew these two mares, Sparkler and Apple Cobbler.

In front of their graves we sang some nationalistic songs about sacrifice and war. Can’t quite remember which ones, but the details are trivial anyway... What matters is that they died as heroes, what the speeches of the teary-eyed relatives of the deceased certainly anknowledged.

After the funeral, the mob started to wander from the cemetery to the City Hall, as it was time for the trial of Berry Punch. The sun had now risen higher in the sky, but the feeling of an impending doom in me didn’t fade away. No sound but the creak of our hooves on the snow could be heard – it was too cold a day for the birds to come out of the forest, and only the guardsponies assigned to protect the important buildings of the town were around. Everything looked stunningly beautiful as we walked: the sun’s rays danced around the branches of leafless trees and smoke slowly rose up from the chimneys of idyllic homes. Why did the pegasi even control the weather before, when it was naturally like this?

The silence finally broke when we were almost at the City Hall. I heard whispers and murmurs being traded in the crowd, and felt a sudden surge of loneliness when I realized there was nopony I could really talk to. The only mare I truly trusted was still in Fillydelphia.

But let’s not get sidetracked, dear diary! The trial went just like expected. Berry Punch said nothing for her defense as she was accused of treason and assisting in two murders. After some minutes of hesitation, Judge Spotless Suit declared the only possible punishment for her crimes: “It’s a pity that a mare like Berry Punch has fallen to serve a band of murderers and mutineers. I have taken into account that the Parliament has used manipulation and propaganda to convince ponies to fight for them. However, I must regrettingly inform that the only possible punishment for treason is death. The penalty will be carried out at sunset.”

A death penalty was certainly no surprise, but ponies around the large hall were still trading nervous glances, as it had been over a century since the last execution in Ponyville. The air was thick of doubt and fear – how many ponies would meet their end during this horrible crisis we’re in?

When I trod home, the deprissing feeling from the morning returned again. This time, however, it was broken when I saw that the red mailbox in front our old but lovely house wasn’t cowered in snow. Mail had arrived! Smiling for the first time in days, I hurried to the mailbox, swiftly snatched the letter and went inside the house. Not many a time has the bulky pine door slammed open with such a force.

The letter was certainly nothing like I had expected! Bon had written that her mother was buried yesterday and that she’d be moving back to Ponyville when the fighting on the Eastern front gets a bit less tense. That’s not likely to happen soon though. I wasn’t really surprised of how Bon had taken the death of her mother so well, as when her father died a year ago she had simply accepted the fact that everypony must go someday. After reading this letter I still have another source of worry, though – my wife had written that there’s no way she could be convinced to join the fighting on any side. I know her so well that I can be sure she’ll not take the fact that I joined the White Guard lightly. All I can do is hope that she understands.

Hoping Bon wouldn’t leave the city in too much hurry, I wrote a lengthy and reply, trying to put every emotion I had felt in the words. I made a decision not to mention the fact I joined the White Guard because of a crippling fear of making Bon angry... in hindsight it might not have been a good idea to keep information from her, but there’s nothing I can do now to change anything in the letter – it’s already being reviewed by the Guard before the mailponies can carry it over to Fillydelphia.

A quite lengthy entry, but I think it’s going to get even longer when I return from the… thing that’ll happen in the evening.

Equestria has become a ruthless, horrible place to live in. Why did we end up in a situation like this?

There were more ponies than in the Summer Sun Festival! An execution had brought together the whole town. When the time came, everypony’s gaze was locked onto the pink mare who was currently being escorted towards the ancient Pine of Blood, as it was called. In the old times this place, the Fellpony Field had been used as the site for executions. It had been long since the field was last used in this way, but the pine was still standing there like a monument of pain.

Ten ponies made up the execution squad. Most of them were from the Apple family, and looked eager to carry out the ultimate punishment, still the funeral of Apple Cobbler fresh in their mind. I couldn’t recognize the others, but it’s almost certain that they were some ponies close to Sparkler.

The executioners pulled the triggers with their mouths and magic, respectively. The horrible crackle of ten shots rang through the field, and was echoed by the nearby Everfree Forest. In front of the mob lay Berry Punch, slowly sliding to the ground, leaving a trail of crimson on the tree behind her.

There was nothing I could do to control myself anymore. My vision blurred as tears flooded from my eyes, the death of an unarmed, broken mare torturing my psyche. Saying nothing, I ran back to my house. It’s quite surprising I even found back here, as I saw almost nothing with my eyes all watery… and here I am now, still crying. I should be stronger than this, Celestia-damnit!

Someone knocked on the door. I didn’t open. There’s no reason to meet anypony.

That mare was persistent – yes, a mare, I peeked at her from the second-story window. Didn’t see her cutie mark, but the mare was a unicorn, the color of her body being a light hue of blue. What was more interesting was her mane, striped with blue and white.

She kept on knocking for half an hour, probably having seen me run here in tears. Perhaps I’ll open if she comes back some other day. But not now… I don’t want anypony to see me in a state this weak.

2. A Warm Hearth in the Wilderness

”Miss Heartstrings? I know you are there,” said a mumbled voice from behind the door. Lyra was feeling better this evening, and couldn’t keep her curiosity in check anymore. She wanted to know who this mare was.

As Lyra opened the door she saw the blue mare from yesterday in front of her.

“Ah, I was wondering whether you’d want to see me at all. May I come in?” asked the peculiar mare. A light, sad smile was on evident on her lips. The wrinkles in the corners of the mare’s eyes betrayed her age: She had certainly seen many more years than the aquamarine mare in front of her.

“Yes,” answered Lyra, hesitantly continuing: “And who might you be?”

The blue mare was blunt in her words. “It’s not very important who I am. What is important is that you seem to be a lonely mare looking for a shoulder to cry on, and I can provide that. This may seem selfish… but I also have a request. I’d like to stay in your home for a few days.”

Lyra deadpanned. “Seriously? A complete stranger knocks at my door, offers to become a pillow for me to cry into, while asking for a place to stay in at the same time? Do you honestly expect me to let you in?”

The blue mare simply kept smiling and went inside past the stunned Lyra. “Yes. You have everything to lose but there’s nothing you can do about it. That much I can see from your eyes. Could you make us some tea?”

Shocked by the mare’s impudence, Lyra headed towards the kitchen without a word. Morning Gray would do, not that there was much else left with all inter-Equestrian trade almost completely cut off. Putting on and lighting up the gas of the stove, Lyra was lost in thoughts. Who is that mare? Why did I let her in without any resistance? While she was proceeding to boil the water in her old but trusty iron kettle, the blue mare sat on a chair next to the large pinewood table Bon had bought a few years ago. “Now that you let me in, I can probably trust you a bit more. You can call me Twinkle,” she said.

“Well, Twinkle, may I ask why you came here with an offer of being a pillow for me to get a place to sleep in?” Lyra responded. Now that sounded cheesy.

“Oh, I was minding my own business at the library when I saw you run by. I was surprised that you were able to get away from the pine. Usually pressure from such a mob is enough to keep everypony in place, no matter how they feel about the things they witness,” Twinkle explained. “And truth to be told, I really need a place to sleep in. I’m not from around Ponyville, and there’s no way I can stay around in the hospital any longer like I have been for the past week. The ponies there sent me off, apparently annoyed by the fact that I didn’t join the White Guard when they asked me.”

“And why on Equus did you not join?”

“Fighting’s not my thing. No matter what, I’m not going to kill another pony. On top of that, I’ll lose no matter which side wins. Not that there’s much to lose anymore, though,” Twinkle sighed. “Isn’t your wife a pacifist too?”

A moment of uneasy silence ensued, and Lyra could faintly hear the radio in her bedroom come to life – she always kept it on, as only important news were broadcasted on the frequency it was tuned to.

[We have some news from the South. Today, the White Guard liberated Trottingham from Red rule. Several Manehattanian divisions coupled up with troops from nearby towns for a total number of over 8000 ponies. After only some hours of fighting, the severely outnumbered Reds surrendered. Let’s have a moment of silence for the 85 White comrades who fell in battle today, valiantly taking the important industrial city out of enemy hands. This is Morning Coffee, out.]

It was apparent that Twinkle had also been listening closely, as the mare stared into emptiness while twitching her ears. Light blinked in her eyes, as she met Lyra’s gaze and opened her mouth again. “Well, that was expected. It’s not like a small concentration of armed ponies could survive in the middle of territory their enemies hold.”

“I guess so. But how did you know about wife? How do you even know I’m married?” Lyra asked, trying to pierce through the blue mare with her confused stare. Thoughts were raging in her mind like the Silent Sea in May. Is she playing mind games? Am I under surveillance by the Guard for doing something wrong? However, her chain of thoughts was quickly interrupted by the other mare.

“Ah. My daughter who used to live here wrote me about your wedding – the marriage of two mares isn’t exactly the most common occurrence,” Twinkle replied with a smirk. “I would have greatly enjoyed being there myself, but I had important duties to attend.”

I should have known. The damn mare’s from Manehattan or even Canterlot! Lyra thought as she observed how graciously Twinkle sipped her tea. Now she’d also finally had the sense to take a look at the mare’s cutie mark: three purple stars in perfect symmetry with each other. A rather unusual mark… maybe it has something to do with magic? Possible, but most likely it’s connected with an interest to astronomy or some other high-society-esque thing. Lyra was lost in her thoughts. The way she talks, the way she smiles… It’s oddly familiar.

****

The sun had already set as a band of ponies briskly trotted along a narrow road surrounded by birch forest. It was a clear and cool night, and their hooves loudly creaked as they continued forward. When they reached a clearing, the moonlight revealed Bon, marching along with a pink-maned canary yellow pegasus and an earth pony stallion, almost as yellow as the pegasus albeit with a blue mane. The pegasus signaled her fellow travelers to stop, for it was time to lay down and rest. No words were exchanged as the three ponies took off their saddle bags and cuddled inside their sleeping furs, falling asleep one-by-one.

****

Lyra and Twinkle had spoken for a long time while consuming numerous cups of tea. Twinkle had revealed that her cutie mark was partly linked with magic: her special talent was the understanding of the mind, and she had magical prowess related to that. While the blue mare hadn’t revealed her home city, it had become apparent to Lyra that she spoke with a distinct Canterlotian accent. She could only wonder why the mare hadn’t simply told where she was from, as it was no shame for a pony to flee Canterlot during a time like this.

But as they had talked, the focus of their conversation had slowly shifted from Twinkle to Lyra. It had been a surprise that Twinkle was so easy to talk to. The mare’s understanding smile and reassuring words had lifted Lyra’s spirits up from yesterday – no longer was the bloody heap of Berry Punch so fresh in her mind; now it seemed more like a nightmare, faded but still echoing in the back of her consciousness. Of course they’d also talked about Bon Bon, whom Lyra was still worried of. But somehow, even that crippling fear of losing her was pushed outside of her immediate thoughts when she shared her feelings with Twinkle.

Now the sun had already set, and Twinkle had been escorted to the not-so-comfy guest room, while Lyra had also retired to her and Bon’s bedroom. She peeked out from the window in her room before lighting up an oil lamp and grabbing her diary from the bookshelf, putting it down on her worn and tanned writing desk.

7. 2. 918

Dear diary,

Today I have met a most peculiar mare. She’s obviously hiding something, but I can admit I like her. There’s just that something in the mare – Twinkle, her name – that tells me she can be trusted unlike most of the ponies in this town. We even had a discussion about my wife. Somehow Twinkle wasn’t surprised at all when I told her how I couldn’t make myself to reveal the truth of me joining the Whites to Bon.

I’m now planning to start working again. I hadn’t even realized how I much I have missed carpentry… When I talked to Twinkle, I realized how idiotic a decision it had been to abandon my work and just agonize over Bon every minute of the day. Or worse, attend some executions.

I’m not even so sure about the Guard anymore. But it’s too late to turn back now.

And Equestria does need me.

****

Bon Bon woke up into sounds of marching and singing. She peeked out from the groove the band was in and saw a long line of marching ponies, all with red bands on their forehooves. Most of them looked cheery and sang marching songs, but many a pony was downcast and quiet.

“Storms of the revolution

rage across the whole nation

mutineers and heroes will this time prevail

We will the monsters of our nation

give a mighty blood-letting

they’ll get to share their ideals with flocks of crows…”

Listening to a march like that wasn’t exactly the wake-up she had hoped, and Bon shut her ears. She noticed her fellow ponies had also woken up, and were curiously glancing at the Red troops. The pegasus looked paralyzed in her gaze, but the earth pony was calm and had a determined smile on his face.

“Oh Fluttershy, there’s no way they’ll notice us,” Bon whispered. “Don’t be afraid, we’ll just wait them out.”

And without a word they waited as the Reds kept marching by. It took over twenty minutes for all the units to pass them; Bon estimated that there had to be at least 2000 ponies in that group. Most likely an entire division from Fillydelphia, she thought. At least they’re certainly heading towards Canterlot instead of Ponyville. Unless they’re just going to abandon the capital to White hands, that is.

The stallion broke the silence when the last Reds were almost out of sight. “So, Flutters, time to move out?”

“Oh yes Goldengrape, we should get moving i-in case t-ther… there’s another division on the move,” responded the pegasus nervously. “Besides, I’m sure both of you are in a hurry to see your wives,” she added with a subtle smile evident on her lips.

Under the astoundingly blue sky the party got on the move again. After a good night’s rest they swiftly covered ground until they had to slow down in fear of catching up with the marching Reds.

After a few hours, the three ponies stopped for a pause. “We are now getting close to the town of Hoofvale,” Fluttershy told to the other two, seemingly knowing every tree in the forest. Even with all the twists and turns the road had taken, Bon Bon and Goldengrape had no hope to ever know their location. To them, the surrounding wall of trees seemed exactly the same as it had in the morning. There weren’t even any landmarks like large rocks or a clearing like the one they had slept close to in sight.

“So, we do as planned? You handle the talking?” Goldengrape asked, his head turned towards Bon.

“Yup,” came the answer, confidence dripping from every word of the beige mare. “I’m certain uncle Dry Season will offer us a place to stay in for some time. Besides, it’s not like he could resist the Element of Kindness asking him if I fail,” she added with a smirk. Fluttershy closed her eyes and shivered, Bon just smiling as they continued their journey, now with a lighter step. They were in no hurry; they’d reach their destination way before nightfall.

Soon they reached the town. It somewhat resembled Ponyville, although the small number of visible buildings betrayed it’s tiny size compared to even other backwater settlements. Smoke bellowed from the few homely buildings, creating a bitter smell in the air as the fumes refused to rise any higher than the tallest treetops, the freezing coldness pushing them down. The band of ponies trotting along the road was quite surprised to see the village in such a good shape – they had expected the Reds to at least take the town’s food supplies with force.

“Stop right there!” From somewhere came a sudden shout, stunning the three ponies.

“Don’t move a muscle until you have been inspected!” It was now apparent that the sharp voice belonged to a brown-maned and rather dull-looking grey mare. A red band on the mare’s left forehoof revealed her cause. Despite her initial underwhelming appearance, the mare was a rather frightening sight as she closed on them from behind a nearby barn – a large rifle was slung around her neck, and her cutie mark, two crossed daggers, wasn’t exactly the most pacifying one a pony could get. Fluttershy was already whimpering on the ground, as the mare reached them.

The inspection was over before it when the mare realized who was in front of her. “My deepest apologies, Element of Kindness, the Tamer of Dragons!” she let out with a look of surprise on her face, swiftly bowing a little. “Might you state what business you are moving on?”

Fluttershy was still too shocked to make any sort of reply, but Bon was there to take the helm. “Fluttershy accepts your apology. Our business here is quite simple – we are mere refugees from Fillydelphia, searching for a place to stay in for a while. We chose this town, because I have relatives living here.”

“Relatives… understandable. But why’d you leave Fillydelphia? It’s in safe hands, after all. No White scum will bother you there, and the shortage of food has finally been solved now that we’re in power.”

“This town is not our final destination. When the fighting here ceases or at least calms down a notch, we’ll be moving to Ponyville. And before you ask, we want to get back to our loved ones again,” Bon explained, nodding towards Goldengrape.

“Very well, travelers. We’ll continue this discussion with the local head of the Red Guard inside his house. Follow me.” the grey mare said with a hint of doubt in her words.

The three ponies walked behind the grey mare’s hoofsteps, relieved to not get shot at, which was always a very real possibility when dealing with desperate armed ponies. Nopony would of course harm Fluttershy intentionally, but Bon had seen guards at the Hospital of Fillydelphia fire at intruders on sight without questions. It wasn’t like one could simply identify a pony a hundred feet from them.

There’s only one possible explanation for why the Reds didn’t loot the village, Bon concluded in her head. I shouldn’t be so surprised to see that one of the poorest villages in Equestria is ruled by the Reds, even though most small places like this are in White hands. After all, even my uncle’s not a wealthy man, and he’s worked his flank off during the years.

Bon gave a mental smirk to herself when the group approached Dry Harvest’s farmhouse. It looked exactly like it had a couple of years ago, except for one tiny little detail – the flag on the short horizontal pole hanging over the door lacked the familiar Solar Emblem of Equestria. The flag the Reds used was, well, red. As the band went inside, they were greeted by the warmness of an old-fashioned hearth.

“Oh howdy, look who it is! Bon Bon the Fillyfooler herself, along with a ragtag bunch of -,” the greeting paused, when the large brown stallion in front of them took a look at the other two, scratching his messy black mane “My my, it’s nothing less than the Element of Kindness, all in her glory!” he continued with his deep, raspy voice. “And the third member of your group – a stallion! I hope you have bucked some sense into Bon!”

Fluttershy kept her eyes on the ground, whimpering. Even Goldengrape was paralyzed, but Bon was again quick to reply: “Well howdy! What do I see in front of me? Isn’t it the old and poor sack of shit, Dry Season?”

“That’s me!” came the enthusiastic answer. “Please don’t mind all these guns around cottage; the barn’s not big enough to hold everything.”

Only now did Bon notice all the guns hanging on the walls – most of them weren’t there during her last visit. The small but lively house was just one big room, though the attic held a bedroom for guests. The fireplace was huge, taking up a big chunk of the space. An oaken table took most of the rest, with quite little space to move around. In an alcove near the ladder to the attic was the kitchen: a small gas stove next to a drawer full of dining tools. The most curious thing in the room was, however, Dry Season’s bed, if it could be called that – a carefully decorated sleeping fur full of all kinds of emblems and coats of arms in a carved inlet in the hearth’s side.

“Oh but don’t you just stand there! I wouldn’t be much of a host if I didn’t offer you dinner. Shall we get started?” the brown stallion continued, grinning. Our escort was dazzled by such a warm welcome for us, her jaw hanging wide open.

The party proceeded to sit around the table, while the grey mare shook her head. “Not exactly what I expected, Captain Season, but your friends are my friends. I’ll return to my post,” she said giving a firm salute and turning to leave.

“Please excuse me for her behaviour. Daggerfall’s just eager to carry out her job,” the brown stallion told us with a smirk.

“Well, at least she has an excuse unlike you,” Bon said without the slightest hint shame in her words. “You just like bucking around.”

“Oh dear Bon, please don’t get me started on my dark past and the horrors I endured during the latest famine!” Dry Season cheerily shouted, already pouring ale with a ladle from a large barrel into his mug. “Just sit down and enjoy my favourite dish – braised potatoes with brown sauce! And please also try out my ale; I promise it tastes better than the last the time!”

“Bon Bon… is he always like this?” Fluttershy whispered in the beige mare’s ear after swallowing one potato whole. Quite an appetite for such a timid and small mare, Bon noted in her mind.

“Yes, but he doesn’t really think badly of us. Uncle has always been a loudmouth.”

After eating the rather tasty meal Bon Bon had arranged the details of their stay with Dry Season. The stallion always welcomed free workforce, as there was always much to do even in the middle of winter. The three ponies would help in everyday tasks such as logging, cooking and feeding the cows, and they’d get warm meals and a place to sleep in for return. The rest of the day had gone mostly in getting to know the few residents of the city. It had come out of the blue for all of them that a platoon of eight gryphons was currently residing in a large carved-out tree, formerly the town hall of this shabby village. They were free extra protection for the community – for a place to stay in they protected the ponies living in the village while even hunting their own food. For them, Equestria’s many forests were a land of plenty as only the most desperate of ponies hunted for meat.

Now the night had fallen, Fluttershy and Goldengrape already asleep after the long day of walking and meeting new ponies. But Bon couldn’t catch sleep as thoughts of Lyra sailed in her mind. She must be so alone… why is life always this hard? Can’t the ponies just stop killing each other so a couple could live their peaceful lives onwards? Despite these thoughts, she knew very well why each side was fighting. And there certainly wouldn’t be any kind of peace before one faction was destroyed. However, the thought that she could still be in contact with Lyra comforted her a bit. Bon had bribed a mailmare in Fillydelphia with quite an impressive number of bits to get any letters sent to her forwarded into Hoofvale.

In the cold moonlight, Bon took out her writing supplies and paper. It was time to write a letter, once again.

8. 2. 918

My beloved wife,

I sincerely hope you get this letter faster than the last time. This one might even reach you before I get to read your reply – I’m no longer in Fillydelphia. I have moved to my uncle’s farm in Hoofvale, a small village in the middle of Rockhold Woods. Do not worry about your letters reaching me, as anything sent to me in Fillydelphia will be redirected here.

I miss you so much, my love. It’s good that I can finally start to do some work here, as it’s bound to take my thoughts away from you. When I was at the hospital, there was nothing I could do to shake the crushing feeling of emptiness and longing. So please trust me – I simply had to get here, away from the damned city. Even if it’s closer to the frontlines.

With love,

Bon Bon

3. The Shattered Keep

Work had made Bon feel better. At least for a while, that was. After a week of rigorous logging, the feeling of dread and anxiety had started to return. No longer was simple physical extortion enough to keep her mind off Lyra. She had tried to avoid getting on the move this fast, but there was simply no way she could contain herself for much longer. Fluttershy is getting weary with all this work, and Goldengrape certainly wants to get together with his wife too, she had thought. Even Lyra had expressed her will for Bon to return through a letter… but there was one big problem: the fight for Coal Mountain, an important strategic point between Ponyville and Canterlot was still raging. It had turned out that the Fillydelphian division Bon and her fellows had seen marching through the woods had been headed there. With gryphon support, the Reds had also managed to take over a large part of the railway leading to Canterlot, where a stalemate had formed.

A light breeze met Bon’s face as she trotted towards the farmhouse of Dry Season from a shed. When the mare reached the house, her mane was already covered with the snow that silently fell from the sky. One shake of a body and a knock later, Bon was inside the warmness of the building.

“Good work today, all of you,” Dry Season said, taking a long gulp of some of his all-too-familiar ale from a dirty-looking tankard for the disgust of Fluttershy and Goldengrape, both already eating one of the blander potato dishes of his. “Bon, I heard from your friends that you plan on leaving?”

“Yes, the plan’s to get on the move at sunrise tomorrow,” Bon responded.

“I can’t hold you off. But there’s something I want to show all of you before we part. If you’re a well-mannered mare respecting your elders, you should move your departure a day forward.”

“What exactly do you want to show us?” Goldengrape asked.

“Oh, you’ll see. But I think it’s important.”

“Is it where you buried your wife and son?” Bon curiously continued. Celestia damn me, I shouldn’t have said that…

The brown stallion’s smile dropped as he stared at Bon for a couple of long seconds. Then it returned. “You dumb foal. You already know where the graveyard is. This is something else.”

The party of three followed in Dry Season’s hoofsteps, eager to know what he had in mind, the wind freezing their faces. For the first time during this winter clothes were really needed, as the draught combined with the low temperature clenched into one’s very bones. The stallion had told that the place he insisted them to see was not very far away, but it was still an hour’s hike. There were no paths in the snow, but Dry Season seemed to know exactly where he was going. The landscape was becoming rugged, and large blocks of snow betrayed where boulders stood. In the summer this would have been quite a walk, but the thick layer of snow over the apparently rocky ground made things a lot easier.

Suddenly it appeared from behind a huge rock: a small and dilapidated tower made of stone, barely still standing on a flat hilltop.

“This, my little ponies, is the Rockhold Keep. Well, in today’s maps it’s called the Shattered Keep, but that’s quite understandable. Nopony really wants to remember the name of this place. What happened here ages ago has probably never been written into any fancy history books,” Dry Season started. “We might as well get in. The walls still keep the breeze away.”

All four climbed up the snowy hill, their curiosity now awoken. “What happened here? What do you want to tell us? We’re all ears,” Bon said.

“Oh, it’s a long story. This keep was built almost 200 years ago to establish an Equestrian presence in this forest and keep the monsters at bay, as some of you might know,” Dry Season explained with a serious voice, smirking to Fluttershy. “That’s the official reason. But in reality, this tower was built for something else entirely: it was a prison, isolated from any population centers, only an insignificant and poor village close to it for providing food. For decades, the most dangerous captives of them all were imprisoned here. Until one faithful day, when-“

“Is this just another conspiracy of yours?” Bon interrupted.

“No. This is the conspiracy,” the stallion continued, unfazed. “As I was saying, this keep was a high security prison for a long time. The villagers never knew that, confident that their Princess wouldn’t have any reason to lie to her citizens. But I don’t think she ever knew the truth about this place.”

“What, the Princess didn’t know? That doesn’t make any sense!” Goldengrape protested.

Dry Season sighed and facehoofed. “Please shut up and let me explain. No, the Princess didn’t know. If she had known, there wouldn’t be a civil war going on right now. Nopony was supposed to know, but fate got in the way of the Royal Council’s plans.”

“Wow, this really is a new low for you, I wou-“ Bon’s sentence was interrupted by hoof to the face. Dry Season was starting to look angry. “Okay, okay, you speak, we listen,” Bon said, rolling her eyes.

“It was a warm and windy day in June. My grandfather was fishing at the Hoofvale River, just half a mile from this place, when a ragged and bloodied mare ran by him. She was all hysterical, and the young buck escorted her back to the family farmhouse, still in use by me. There she as washed up. The ponies couldn’t believe their eyes: in front of them they saw a battered and bruised Flaming Forge - a supposedly-dead earth pony, the former leader of the Merchant Union who went missing a year back during the annual Ursa Minor hunt of the Canterlotian elite.“ Dry Season shot an empty-eyed look at the large hole in the wall of the keep.

”She told them only the important matters. The nobility was not fond of Forge’s political activism and vocal support for civil rights and a free election of a more modern council, and thus staged her death. For a year she had been held in the keep, until the old hydra from the river had for some reason gone on a rampage, killing all the guards and other prisoners in here. Nopony ever got to know why that happened, but the tower was never used after the incident. The next day, the mare had left without a note.“

“Now that she was free, Forge’s quest for the freedom of ponies was all but over. She went on to lead the mutiny of Baltimare in 838. Her identity was never confirmed in any official source, and with the help of Princess Celestia the Royal Guard quickly subdued any resistance her forces could offer. The movement she started back then never really died, but it changed its form. During the years, the proletariat slowly gained political influence, and not even the propaganda of the Council could convince our misled but well-intentioned Princess to turn her back to all the hard-working but economically struggling ponies. The Merchant Union was corrupted as the Council had the power to appoint its members, but the Worker’s Union grew larger and larger during the years.“

“You know the rest. Princess Celestia organized the first nationwide elections to create a balancing power to the Royal Council before her inevitable death, and the First Parliament was formed. As her sickness got worse, the socialist-majority Parliament was dissolved and exiled, and the Council was again in the helm. This time, not even Celestia would be in their way. Equestria was tormented by a terrible famine while the nobility continued their gluttony, sucking the blood of the working class and subduing every protest and strike with violence.”

“But we would be in the way,” he continued with a wry smile. “This time the revolution will be nothing like the one attempted eighty years ago. We have masses of ponies. We have the major industrial cities of our country. We have gryphon support. We have the Consortium, led by none other than the Element of Magic herself! Perhaps we’ll even have the pegasi, now that Cloudsdale has once again declared its independence. We will win this war.”

“That might happen,” Bon replied bemusedly. “But at what cost? Are you prepared to tear the very foundations of our society apart? How many ponies are you willing to kill to meet your goals? Hell, it’s entirely possible that you’d attack Ponyville and get Lyra killed.”

“It saddens me that so many ponies are willing to stand in the way of progress. But it’s their choice. We can’t give our enemies mercy. I know they won’t do that either,” Dry Season said. “We will never get rid of the slavery of the proletariat without a change in power. All that stuff I told isn’t really that important at all: while the injustice has always been there, all we’re really asking for is a better life. When you’re dying of starvation, fancy anthems and freedoms you’ll never use anyway are nothing. Such things can never be accomplished, when the leaders of the country steal from the common pony in order to have parties. The behaviour of many farmers is even worse; holing up all of the food just for your personal use ‘because it’s my right’ is no excuse. I have always shared from my stock whenever I could, as that’s the right thing to do.”

“Nopony deserves to be killed, no matter what crimes they have committed – that’s something a certain mare has taught me over my years in Ponyville. And farmponies do have their rights, no matter whether you want to use them or not,” Bon proudly declared, turning her head towards Fluttershy. She wasn’t there.

“I hoped you would undertand,” the stallion grunted. “But I see it’s too much to ask from you to use your common sense. A shame, really. I thought I could convince you to join us.”

Bon had already dashed out, but Goldengrape determinedly pointed his hoof at Dry Season. “Give me one of those Luna-damned red bands already. I have already considered this before, and this is probably the last possibility for a long time to enroll.”

Fluttershy was leaning against the outer wall. Tears were slowly flowing from her eyes, forming a glistering stream on her coat; water froze fast in the cold winter weather. Bon emerged from the doorway, slowing her pace and walking towards the pegasus.

“Something wrong, Flutters?” Bon asked with a worried look

“Oh. He just made me remember all the awful things that have happened.”

“Ponies die. That’s life now.”

“I know… But it wasn’t always like that. The six of us always had so much fun together. Now we… we’re … f-fighting each other a-and …” the Pegasus whimpered, her voice dying out. Bon hugged Fluttershy gently.

“It will get better, trust me. This will eventually be over,” Bon responded, her eyes watering up too, all the anxiousness and feelings of fear taking the better of her.

And there they cried together, not aware how long. Time was irrelevant.

16. 2. 918

My beloved Lyra,

This will probably be the last letter you receive for some time. We have decided to get on the move, as we can’t simply stand loitering around and logging for an old and war-mongering buck. We aren’t certain what our next destination is, but I will inform you as soon as we reach a town with a mail office. That might take some time, though.

The last few days here have been quite interesting and confusing. My uncle took us to the Shattered Keep, telling us a weird conspiracy involving his grandfather. Usually his ramblings are not to be taken seriously, but this time he seemed to believe in what he said.

His reasoning has also led me to doubt some decisions I have made in the last few weeks. However, those choices can’t be changed and I must simply accept responsibility of my actions if I did wrong. I still think my judgment was good enough on those matters, though. And no, please don’t ask. I wish to talk about these things in more detail only in person.

Your loving wife,

Bon Bon

The morning was not an ideal one for marching: strong gusts of wind blew snow all over the road. The trio had had to buy the warm winter clothes from Dry Season, as being naked in this kind of weather would have exposed them to hypothermia and falling sick. The long walk began in the early hours of the day, the sun not yet risen.

Did I do the wrong thing, leaving her in there? Should I feel bad for it?

The road was covered by a thick layer of snow, making the walk excruciatingly difficult. Still they knew that they’d have to carry on, as their rations would only last for so many days. They wouldn’t want to resort in hunting, after all.

No, I shouldn’t feel bad. The Reds have no more right to hurt other ponies than anyone else. Freedom and happiness can never be accomplished through violence.

“What’s in your mind, Bon?” Fluttershy asked, looking a bit worried.

“Nothing important, Flutters. I was just thinking about Fillydelphia.”

Yes… nothing important at all.

The pegasus took a measuring look at Bon, not saying anything. Fluttershy was empathetic enough to know when something was bothering her, but the mare’s face didn’t reveal her thoughts.

She can’t know. It’s not possible. I should feel no regret.

****

Lyra was trotting on a field of roses. Have I been here before? She gazed up at the sky, lit by hundreds of stars and a beautiful moon. A quite luminescent moon indeed...

Suddenly she was awake, a painfully bright lamp blinding her eyes. The world was filled with noises, the radio crackling somewhere and horribly loud alarms almost tearing her ears out. Lyra should have risen up grabbed her rifle, but she couldn’t. Paralyzed by fear, she dug her head deep in the pillows, trying not to hear the terrible noises from the outside. In that attempt she was futile.

“Into positions! Get the machine gun ready, now!” she could hear a stallion shouting across the street. “They’re at 5 o’clock! Fire at will!”

Rat-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-BOOM**

The entire house shook. Lyra was completely still. She saw nothing, but had heard and felt the entire force of the explosion. There was a frightening silence, lasting a few seconds, and Lyra was starting to panic.

“Medic! Help! Help!” she heard the voice of the same stallion. Oh Celestia oh Celestia what should I do what should I do

“Please, no! Don’t do it, I swe-“ crack

Lyra passed out.

“Time to wake up, Lyra,” she could hear a faint whisper in her ear. Lyra’s eyes shot open in an instant. Over her was the head of Twinkle. “The Reds came at night. I heard the noises of fighting just outside there,” she said, waving her hoof at the wall.

“I failed,” Lyra said, only able to feel shame.

“It’s okay. That happens to many ponies. You are not a soldier, Miss Heartstrings. Perhaps it was for the good that you didn’t or couldn’t join the battle. You would most likely have been the one to die first, if you had,” Twinkle assured her.

Before Lyra could reply, Twinkle put a hoof on the mare’s mouth and continued. “Don’t you start to argue with me. Besides, the town is still in White hands. I heard from the radio that the Reds were only retreating through Ponyville.”

“What, retreating? There’s no retreating from Canterlot!” Lyra confusedly let out, pushing the other mare’s hoof aside.

Twinkle sighed. “Not from Canterlot, young Miss. The Battle of Coal Mountain is over. It turned out that the Council had an ace in its sleeve: when the day changed, the Free Army of Cloudsdale joined the fight on your side. The two Red divisions were pushed back, and over 700 prisoners of war were taken.”

Lyra turned her head, noticing that the lights in the house were indeed on. It looked like she had lost herself for quite a bit, as the rays of the morning sun were already peeking from the windows, and she was laying on her sofa in the living room. What she tells must be true. The coal plants are running once again.

“I thought the pegasi were our enemies,” Lyra said, still doubt in her voice.

“Not anymore, dear. The Royal Council has acknowledged the independency of Cloudsdale. The radiopony said that the pegasi wanted to unite against the gryphon threat,” Twinkle responded.

Now Lyra was already trotting towards the entry, curious about seeing the signs of the battle that occurred last night. She opened the door with a dull thud.

What was before her eyes wasn’t pretty. The building on the other side of the street had a huge hole in its side, and thrash was littered all over the ground. What she also noticed was the large amount of dried blood splattered across the grey walls, making her feel sick.

If I had been stronger, I could have prevented this. It would have been easy take aim at the attackers from my bedroom window, Lyra thought, cringing.

The soothing voice of Twinkle was right behind her. “I know you feel bad, but I still think this was for the best. Besides, you should stop staring at that mess and get going. It was announced twenty minutes ago that the entire White Guard of Ponyville should gather to the City Hall as fast as they can. I bet there’ll be a status report and some important announcements.”

“Should I even go there?” Lyra asked. “I doubt they really want a coward like me.”

“Oh Miss, I’m sure they’ll want everypony they can get. It’s your choice whether to go there or not, but I don’t think a sudden resignation from the Guard would be taken lightly,” Twinkle replied with a hint of sadness in her smile.

Great… just great.

Loads of ponies, almost the entire town, was stacked in front if the City Hall. Lyra was standing at the back of the crowd, still having to wait for almost an hour for the occasion to truly start. When the mass of restless ponies finally stopped growing, Mayor Mare began to speak.

“My little ponies, dear citizens of Equestria. Last night our town was baptized in fire, as the Reds retreated through our fields and streets, looting the homes of many of innocent ponies and stealing most of our food supplies. In honor of the 38 ponies who died defending Equestria and Ponyville, we shall have a minute of silence.”

For a minute, nopony dared to move a muscle. The atmosphere in the crowd was tense, and Lyra let out a small gasp as she remembered to breathe again.

“Thank you,” the Mayor continued. “Now to the news: with the pillage the Reds pulled off last night our food supplies are almost gone, and we can’t expect to get any help from the surrounding towns, as they are short on everything too. My solution might sound terrible to you, but there’s no alternative except for a miserable death of hunger: we must begin hunting again.”

This came as a shock for many a pony in the crowd, and objections were heard. However, Mayor Mare had made up her mind.

“Tomorrow, Guard Captain Macintosh will lay out a schedule. Each day, eight ponies in groups of two will enter the Everfree in order to gather us meat. Please do not act like it’s the end of the world; I know most of you went over this during the last famine too. In times of need, we sometimes have to abandon our ideals in order to survive. And there's no need to worry about the Reds there anymore, as it's almost certain that they followed the troops passing through our town. Now please greet our Captain, for he wanted to speak too.”

The crowd cheered; ‘Big Mac’ was very popular among all of the Guard. He was a stubborn and skilled fighter who had already proved himself in the skirmishes with Gryphonian troops in the Northern War.

The red stallion stepped up to the platform with the determined look of a harassed farmer. He coughed violently for a moment, and then started to speak: “Tis’ been nothing. When Ah was fighting the gryphons on our Northern border two years back, we were but a bunch of overconfident volunteers. Now the overconfidence has transformed into trust in our fighting capabilities. Ah know many of ya ponies don’t know much ‘bout this ‘war’ thingy. But ya don’t have to be alone in that. Ah, along with a bunch of other veterans have decided to start advanced military training in our very town. We will train every willing mare and stallion to some specialization, be it sharpshooting, sabotaging or strategic analysis of the battlefield. This might not be as perfect as the training given to us by the Prench, but it’ll certainly help us strive on the fields of battle.”

Many ponies were cheering in agreement, but the red stallion silenced them with a single wave of a hoof.

“Many of ya ponies might be sad for losing their loved ones during the night, but we don’t have much time for sorrow until the war is over. However, every single soldier fallen on the field of battle will be given the funeral of a hero. Let us now sing together a bit of something for the fallen; our hearts will never forget them. This is the song that we proudly marched under during the Battle of Narcolt,” Macintosh finished.

A white screen was raised behind the platform, and the lyrics of the old and familiar March of the National Guard were projected on it. A small choir composed of mainly stallions started up, quickly followed by the crowd of ponies:

“Deep is our blow, our wrath never matched,

we have no mercy to show.

Our hope in the tip of our sword is on,

may the faith in our hearts stay alit.

Our cry of war, enchanting, rings out,

us to the ranks it calls.

Our courage never die may out

till' our nation from strife is freed.

Our courage never die may out

till' our nation from strife is freed.

When bowed were heads of ponies, the land

we guardsponies still had faith.

In our hearts was a night, eternal and dark,

but in the minds a thought holy, just:

We shall rise as a force to reach a new dawn,

to fight for our homes with pride.

New tales of Equestria will be born:

it grows, it rises, it triumphs.

New tales of Equestria will be born:

it grows, it rises, it triumphs.

Seaddle, Hoofington, the mounts of Canterlot:

one and great is the reign of our country.

Its cause can never be driven by fear,

that the Northern skies us remind.

Its Solar Flag is carried aloft

by the hooves of ponies strong.

Over the thunder of gory fields

our nation will shine once more.

Over the thunder of gory fields

our nation will shine once more.”

Lyra felt a surge of determination bellow up in her mind. This was why she had joined: To protect her home, her country, and most importantly, her love. The horrible sound of a pony’s skull shattering was now a mere echo buried inside the deep reaches of her consciousness. I can never let emotions take control of me like that again. I must be stronger.

4. Survival Is Cruel

It was a warm day even in the Everfree, as the sun’s light shone through the ceiling of leaves. For Lyra, however, it certainly wasn’t a day of joy. She had been drawn to a hunting shift with Violet Fritter, yet another member of the incredibly large Apple family. If it wasn’t for all these Apples, Ponyville would be in big trouble now. We would have no food, much less recruits and the morale boost of having the entire family of the Element of Honesty on our side, Lyra had thought.

Lyra had been quite surprised to find out that Violet was one of the more talkative Apples, a complete opposite to the stoic and reticent Big Macintosh. The corn-colored mare had babbled for the whole day, not giving Lyra a moment’s rest. Now that the two ponies were finally on the tracks of a boar, Violet was finishing the memoirs of her life in Hoofington, ‘The City at the Golden River’.

“… and then it happened.”

“Umm, what happened?” Lyra asked with a confused smile, having paid more attention to the ancient oaks surrounding them than the other mare’s ramblings.

Violet rolled her eyes. “Ya know what happened! The famine. There was no food in Trottingham, none at all – the streets were filled with starving ponies craving for food and shelter. We were okay at first because of our large garden, but of course the apple harvest of a relatively small family orchard wasn’t enough to feed us for the whole winter. As there was no food left to buy, we were forced to move back to our roots here in Ponyville and later made this our permanent home. Nopony really wanted to go back after the winter was over… we could finally grow our own food! And now, two years later, Sweet Apple Acres has larger orchards than ever before,” the mare finished with a grin.

Despite knowing of the sudden migration of a dozen Apples to the town, Lyra had never really bothered her mind with the reason of such a sudden ‘homecoming’. Now she felt herself utterly spaced out of current affairs.

The silence between the two mares was brief, as Violet could not keep her mouth shut for more than a minute. “Hey Lyra, are you a good shot? Ah was wondering if ya could take out the boar once we find it. My aim ain’t exactly steady with this bulky piece of scrap. Surely a unicorn is better at shooting with these things?”

“I… I don’t really know. I have never shot outside of the practice range,” Lyra replied with a slight blush and smidgen of fear in her eyes. “Besides, I don’t have a good feeling about this… ‘killing animals to eat them’-thing.”

“Oh Miss Heartstrings, you know that’s a bunch of horseapples! Sometimes, the stronger simply has to take the life of a lower species in order to survive. Many animals like bears and wolves do that all the time, so don’t ya tell me it’s wrong,” the other mare snorted.

“But… but…”

“No ‘buts’. Now Ah really feel like ya should take that shot, Miss. It’s important that ya understand what it feels like, since ya claim to never have shot at a living target,” Violet said, her eyes focused on Lyra’s.

The aquamarine mare was shaking slightly, trying not to show her increasing fear to Violet. That, however, was for no avail.

“Ah know the first kill can be mighty heartstinging, Miss,” Violet let out, the anger in her voice replaced with a comforting tone. “It really is for the best that ya do it now instead of in the heat of battle. The boar stands no chance against us, but freezing in the middle of a firefight usually means certain death.”

She’s right. If my emotions take control of me, I’m as good as dead, Lyra thought. “Alright, Violet… I’ll do it,” she said, her voice trembling a bit.

It took half an hour for the ponies to catch the up with the boar. The pair was now standing on the edge of a large clearing, the boar digging in the snow about a hundred feet away next to an old and worn oak.

Without a word, Lyra lifted her rifle with magic and crouched on the chilly blanket of snow. Despite her earlier feelings, the mare was strangely serene when the time to act came. I’m really doing this. I really-

POW.

For a short moment that felt to Lyra like an eternity, the boar screamed like its lungs were on fire. Then it collapsed, blood painting the ground with a deep hue of red. Lyra started to shake again. “I have killed. I really did it this time, it’s gone! I won my fears, I… I…” the words choked up in her mouth. There the boar lay, executed against a tree. Just like Berry Punch.

Violet put her hoof on Lyra’s shoulder, cheeringly talking right into her ear. “Great shot, Miss! Ah couldn’t have done better by myself. Looks like ya hit his heart!”

Lyra could say nothing. Her mind was tormented by fear, regret and guilt for enjoying the shot on some level. Have I become a monster?

“I think ya know what comes next, eh?” Violet asked with a smile.

Lyra just looked at the ground, saying nothing.

“Oh. Depression after the first kill – I suppose that’s understandable, Miss! But let me show ya how to skin a boar, for that is a vital part in getting the animal to the dinner table”, the corn-colored mare continued, her purple mane wiggling around in the light breeze.

Oh Celestia… Lyra suddenly felt incredibly sick, and her stomach started clenching. She threw up the whole precious breakfast.

It had turned out that skinning a large boar alone in the middle of a forest was no easy task. Violet had given up trying to make Lyra help her, and thus the mares were now dragging the heavy carcass along the ground, strapped to them by hemp ropes. The sun had passed its apex, and was now slowly but surely lowering towards the horizon, making the Everfree appear much darker as the trees were now effectively blocking the sunlight out.

The pair stopped, when Violet realized they were in the same place as an hour ago. “Uhm… Ah don’t how to put this, Miss, but I think we might be lost,” she told, giving a nervous laugh.

Lyra kept her mouth shut, as there were no more words left in her. I have killed a living, perhaps on some level a sentient creature. I have seen huge pools of blood on the snow. And now we’re lost. Guess I got what was coming for me.

“Not gonna say anything, huh?”

Staring at the hunger-inducing, delicious-looking fritters on the other mare’s flank, Lyra remained silent, shaking her head in a barely recognizable shutter. And now I’m hungry. Looks like I really am a spoiled, useless mare. Couldn’t cut a boar up to save my life.

A sudden slap in Lyra’s face returned her to the ground. “Miss Heartstrings! Lyra!” Violet shouted. “Now ya will stop chewing the cud and talk, will ya? As as superior officer, Ah command you to help me set up a camp. If we’re lost, there’s no point in wandering around a forest full of Luna-knows-what horrors during sunset. Our safest bet is to dig a large pit in the snow and hole up in there for the night – and hope that the boar doesn’t attract unwanted attention.”

Back in reality, Lyra could now find enough courage to respond at least something. “Yes, ma’am. Just tell me what to do.”

And so the two mares proceeded to grab field shovels from their saddlebags. It took some time, but with the combined effort a deep hole wide enough for both of them formed. It wasn’t a piece of masterwork, but it’d do. However, with the sky clear, the night would certainly be at least as cold as it had been during the previous ones.

19. 2. 918

Dear diary,

May Celestia and Luna forgive me, for I have committed a great evil. A necessary one, perhaps – but that doesn’t make it right.

Oh sweet Cadence, what am I rambling about again? What we have to do is what we have to do. Moral doesn’t apply when we’re trying our best to survive in this cruel world. If lesser lifeforms have to surrender their energy to help us strive, so be it.

I can’t avoid the fact that I still feel horrible about it, though. Especially with its freezing corpse just outside of our little hole…

No. I must be stronger.

****

As Celestia’s former sun slowly descended from the sky, the steady speed of the airship Tirblimp did not slow. Finding such a way of travel was something that neither Bon nor any of her companions had expected, but like a gift from the past Princess, an airship had descended almost on top of them during a storm the day before. The Tirblimp was the mighty flagship of the small but fearsome Detrotian fleet, currently on its way to the frontlines.

After almost getting shot and maimed by gryphon escorts, the ship’s captain, a green unicorn with a compass rose as a cutie mark had offered them a ride - meeting a Bearer of an Element was not something that happened every day. The fact that Daggerfall, the earth pony the group had come to know in Hoofvale was a part of the ship’s crew had also helped. Bon and her fellows had quickly agreed that they would jump off at a refueling station near Ghastly Gorge, even though Goldengrape had gotten an offer of getting a free hitch to the frontlines. The stallion had almost agreed, but a quiet whisper from Fluttershy had changed his mind. Bon could only wonder what she might have said, but it probably was something about his wife.

Being the assertive mare she was, Bon had already tried to suck out any and all useful information from the ship’s captain. The mare, Clear Skies her name, hadn’t spoken much. It had become clear to Bon that Captain Skies was not fond of sharing anything with ponies not with her faction, and thus she had been stopped short. The only important thing she’d managed to get out of her was that a mass attack on Canterlot was being planned, but that was no surprise.

As Bon was leaning on the side rail deep in her thoughts, Fluttershy woke her from the sleep-like slumber she’d been in. “Umm, Bon? Would you mind me asking you about something?” the pegasus whispered in a voice so quiet that the other mare had trouble hearing anything she’d said.

“Not at all, Flutters. Just go ahead.”

“Do you think we are in the right, not doing anything about this war? I know that you’re hiding something... I just thought that maybe you have changed your mind..?” Fluttershy continued with an uncertainty in her voice. Her eyes were locked at the deck beneath Bon.

Oh Celestia. She really does know.

“Do you know?” Bon asked with a stern look. Fluttershy answered nothing.

The earth pony sighed. “So you do. I have thought about it, yes. But leaving her behind was the only thing I could do - no matter what happens, I can’t support a pony who forgets her ideals when trouble arrives,” Bon said, her voice cracking a bit. “What do you think I should have done?”

Now she’s going to bash me.

“Oh... I... I don’t know,” the pegasus whimpered.

Surprised by the answer of the peaceful Fluttershy who still could be quite harsh to wrong-doers, Bon’s eyes widened. “I thought you’d just leave me the instant I said that.”

“I can forgive you, for I’m not even sure if you did the right or wrong decision. Enough ba... bad has already happened due to my absoluteness,” Fluttershy explained, still not courageous enough to look in the other mare’s eyes. “I might never see her again... oh Bon, I was so mad at her for joining the Free Army!”

The eyes of the pegasus were starting to water. “I know she shouldn’t have done that. The pride of Cloudsdale and her family can’t be more important than the lives of other ponies... but... but...” it was obvious that Fluttershy was not willing to continue the conversation further.

“Sometimes, you have to choose between two bads,” Bon said with a low voice. “Don’t you worry about Rainbow Dash. I’m sure she’ll be safe.”

“It’s not that!” Fluttershy almost shouted out. “She could get into battle. And there she will, oh I know she will, being the most talented flier for decades... she will... she’ll...” the pegasus was starting to cut out again.

“She’ll kill other ponies, Bon,” Fluttershy finally let out, unexpectedly still able to speak. “And I don’t think she’ll even regret it. When Rainbow left, her eyes had the same determined spark as Twilight’s when she got to know the truth about what happened to Celestia.”

“What? Celestia has something to do with this?”

A look of panic swept to Fluttershy’s face, but was quickly replaced with an empty glare to nothingness, as she began speaking again: “I shouldn’t have said that. But I don’t think it matters anymore – everything’s lost anyway. “

“Go on,” Bon demanded as the pegasus hesitated.

“Umm… okay. We, I mean me and my five friends, were invited to Canterlot for an emergency meeting one cold morning a year and some months ago. You know what it was like back then: everypony was hungry and death was everywhere, as the Blizzard of the Century had just passed. Spring was coming and a smidgen of hope had built up in our hearts – perhaps everything could return to normal after the worst famine Equestria had ever seen. At first we thought that the meeting would be like the ones before, where we had attempted to summon food with little success. But no, it was nothing like that,” Fluttershy started her story.

The weather was foul as the six mares, the Bearers of the Elements, stepped out of the train. What surprised them was that Princess Luna instead of Celestia was there to greet them. The alicorn’s face was as stoic as ever, but in her eyes Fluttershy saw a hint of something not expected – anger.

“Welcome, my little ponies,” the Princess spoke out. “You might already have figured out that this meeting is not like the other ones we have had this winter. Please follow me, for I have important matters to discuss with you.”

The six mares followed in the hoofsteps of the Princess, trading nervous glances. Through the streets of Canterlot and the halls of the castle, the regal alicorn led the friends to the door of her private chambers, where two Solar Knights stood in guard along with a band of Royal Guards. The pair of Knights raised their decorated bayonets to let the Princess and her accompanies through.

As they entered the room, it became apparent why Luna had summoned them to Canterlot on such a short notice: on the bed of the Princess of the Night lay a sleeping and very exhausted-looking Celestia, a white unicorn with a red cross for a cutie mark next to her.

“All of her powers were drained when we put the blizzard up. The war is over– entire armies dropped out of the sky, the feathers of gryphons and pegasi alike frozen together by just minutes of exposement to the coldest wind our nation has seen for hundreds of years. This - ,” she explained, pointing at Celestia, “is why the storm lasted for so long. There was no way I could have ended it alone. Countless of lives were lost for nothing. The only positive thing about this situation is that the number of ponies to feed has finally dropped to tolerable levels,” Luna told with a tear in her eye, giving a dry laugh.

“When will she wake up?” Twilight asked with fear in her voice.

“I don’t think she will, Twilight.”

The six mares at the doorway looked shocked. “But she’s Celestia! An immortal alicorn cannot die! Why won’t you just heal her?” Twilight argued.

“We shouldn’t be able to die naturally, yes” Luna replied, tears flowing openly from her eyes. “But there’s nothing that I, or anypony else for that matter can do. You of all ponies must know how strongly we resist magic despite being capable of otherworldly, almost godlike deeds – deeds that aren’t really magic at all, as you doubtlessly have learned out while scouring the Forbidden Section of the Royal Archives.”

“But what could have caused her sickness? Celestia’s even resistant to poisons!”

“I have no idea, Twilight. But we're going to find out.”

“Fluttershy, this is starting to go a bit over my head,” Bon commented. Alicorns aren’t really magical. The Blizzard of the Century was caused by the Princesses. What next, a secret alliance with the changelings? While the matters the pegasus had already revealed were hard for Bon to swallow, she knew that the mare was not a good liar – and as she started to speak again, only a honest despair was evident from her stature.

“As I was telling you, we proceeded to spent two week in Canterlot, helping Luna decipher the cause to Celestia’s illness. We had tried to help with that before, but it wasn’t so important until then…”

Twilight emerged from the doorway with a blank look on her face. Beside her was the crown of Celestia, levitating in a magenta field magic. “We finally know,” she said with a powerless voice.

The huge and round court room lined with silvery ornaments that she walked into wasn’t very crowded, as only the most trusted high-ranking officials along with the Bearers were around. Princess Luna was nowhere to be seen. Still, Twilights statement had managed to cause quite a stir within the small mass of ponies.

As the purple mare walked up to the platform with a brisk step, the attendees were already shouting questions. Twilight paid no attention to them.

“This crown,” she began to speak, “Is the reason for Princess Celestia’s illness. Our research team has found out that it contains trace amounts of a mysterious substance emitting something that has never been encountered before. Something between magic and poison – imagine it as killing radio waves. The substance is so rare that it couldn’t have been there by chance, thus I regrettingly have to inform that the state of our Princess was caused by somepony. I’d even go as far as saying that the offender is in this very room; The pony has had to have been close to her in order to corrupt the crown in such a way.”

When the room was again filled with conversation, Twilight continued with a magically amplified voice: “But do not worry! The pony or ponies responsible for this atrocity will be found out. And their punishment shall be horrible.”

Nopony had the nerve to talk as Twilight descended from the platform, heading back towards the door. Her face revealed nothing, but what Fluttershy saw in her eyes was terrible – it was almost like a flame was burning behind them.

The Future of This Story

This story's not done for.

I've craved to continue this fic, but it didn't turn out like I had wanted. So, what I will do, is completely rewrite the story with a drastically different plot to avoid the mistakes I made the first time.

The synopsis sums it up:

After years of exile, Lyra Heartstrings receives a letter from somepony she thought was long dead. A new hope in her heart, she journeys to the land that once blossomed with friendship and love. Though she knew that things had gone awry in Equestria, nothing could have prepared her for the very harsh reality—a land now torn by war, plague, and the loss of its leaders.

When will it be ready? No idea. The first chapters will probably be out in a month. Or something. At the moment, Under the Northern Skies is my top priority. I'm aching to get it finished.